Pilot, 23, plunged 3,500ft to his death from plane after co-pilot issued urgent mayday call

His body was recovered in a tree

A 23-year-old fell almost 3,500 feet to his death just moments after his co-pilot called air traffic control to say they would be making an emergency landing. Aspirational professional pilot Charles Crooks was in the small 10-person plane with his co-pilot when the aircraft took off on Friday afternoon. But during the flight, the plane lost control of the right wheel of its landing gear. Crooks' co-pilot therefore called air traffic control at Raleigh-Durham Airport in North Carolina to inform them they would like to make an emergency landing. They had already failed to land at Raeford West Airport.

In a recording released by investigators, the pilot says: "We were attempting to land. We made contact with the ground, had a hard landing and decided to go around. And at that point we lost the wheel."

He was treated for minor injuries at a nearby hospital. According to investigators, Crooks had fallen from the plane without a parachute. It is unclear whether he jumped or fell. His body was later found in a residential neighborhood in Fuquay-Varina. Residents reported hearing a loud thud outside, and flagged down police searching the area. Crooks' body was recovered in a tree, 30 miles south of the airport where the plane had landed. Authorities believe he fell almost 3,500ft. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52XxZWsZAtQ His father, Hew Crooks, told WRAL that his son had gained his private pilot license when he was a sophomore in college. He had worked as a flight instructor for over a year and dreamed of becoming a professional pilot. "We’re a strong family, and we’re a very loving family. But this, it leaves a hole," his father said. "I don't know. We can't process it right now." The co-pilot of the aircraft was released from hospital on Friday evening, and is yet to speak to the media about what caused Crooks to fall from the plane. Related links:

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